1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a checkout apparatus for checking sales articles, and more particularly to a checkout apparatus used in a large-scale store such as a supermarket.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when a customer has brought a shopping basket containing articles which are not yet registered for sales in front of the scanner, the operator takes out the non-registered article from the shopping basket, uses the scanner to read the bar code representing the article code assigned to the article and then puts the article into an empty shopping basket set behind the scanner. After the operator settles the account when all of the non-registered articles have been registered into the cash resister, the operator puts another empty basket behind the scanner. The customer brings the shopping basket containing the registered articles to the packaging table and puts the articles into a packaging bag.
However, the operator may have the following problems: A1) Since it is necessary to take out the articles one at a time from the shopping basket in which a large number of non-registered articles are packed at random, it is difficult to take out them from the basket, and particularly, when fragile articles are received in the basket, it becomes further difficult to rapidly take out them. A2) Since it is necessary to put the articles which have been taken out from the shopping basket into another shopping basket in such an order that the fragile articles may be put on other articles which are difficult to be damaged, it is difficult to rapidly deal with the articles. A3) It is required to set an empty shopping basket behind the scanner for the next customer.
Further, the customer may have the following problems: B1) The waiting time becomes long because the operator has the above problems. B2) It is necessary to take the heavy shopping basket containing registered articles to the packaging table after the settlement. B3) Since it is necessary to take out the registered articles from the shopping basket on the packaging table and then put the fragile articles on the other articles which are not fragile into a packaging bag, it takes a long time for packaging.
In order to solve the above problems, a checkout apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 61-46591 has been proposed. The checkout apparatus includes a reader (or scanner) which is used by the customer to read the bar code of an article, a feed conveyor for feeding the article whose bar code is read by the reader, a weight measuring device for measuring the weight of an article set on the feed conveyor, a feed-out conveyor disposed continuously to the rear end of the feed conveyor, for feeding the article whose weight is measured, a packaging section disposed at the end portion of the feed-out conveyor, and a settlement section at which the customer having packaged the articles at the packaging section settles the accounts.
Therefore, when the customer has come to the checkout position after having put articles to be purchased into a shopping cart, he takes out the articles one at a time from the shopping cart, reads the bar code of the article by use of the reader, and then puts it on the feed conveyor.
When the bar code of the article is correctly read by the reader, the checkout apparatus reads out weight data corresponding to a code input from the reader from a memory which stores weight data of transaction articles classified by the article codes and compares the readout weight data with the weight data of the article which is set on the feed conveyor and whose weight is measured by the measuring device.
In this case, if the compared weight data items are coincident with each other, it is determined that the article whose article code is read by the reader is the same as that which is being fed and the article is fed to the packaging section by driving the feed conveyor and feed-out conveyor in a forward direction.
If the compared weight data items are not coincident with each other, the article is returned to the reader by driving the feed conveyor and feed-out conveyor in a reverse direction. The customer again operates the reader to read the bar code of the article which has been returned to the reader.
Therefore, in a case where the bar code cannot be read by means of the reader (including a case wherein the customer directly sets the article onto the feed conveyor without effecting the bar code reading operation), or in a case where the customer sets an article different from the article whose bar code is read by use of the reader on the feed conveyor, the article is returned to the reader and therefore erroneous registration and a dishonest act of the customer can be prevented.
In a case where the customer operates the reader to read the bar code attached to an article, it frequently occurs that the bar code cannot be correctly read because the customer is not used to the reading operation. Further, there is a possibility that the bar code cannot be correctly read because of stain on or breakage of the bar code label.
In this condition, the weight data of the article whose weight is measured by the measuring device does not coincide with the weight data read out from the memory and the article is returned to the reader. As a result, in this period of time, it becomes impossible to operate the reader so as to read the bar code of a next article.
In addition, even if the reading operation is effected again and when the bar code is not correctly read, the operator who is in charge of the settlement is called to come to the position of the reader and the operator cannot concentrate all his energy on the settlement operation.